Constellation has proven a good neighbor

The American Red Cross of the Chesapeake Region knows how important it is to stay connected to your home. We have been serving Maryland's disaster victims every day for the past 107 years from our offices in Baltimore. We've changed our physical address a few times, but the truth is, Red Crossers are really most at home on the streets in front of your neighbor's house after a fire or in a borrowed shelter after a tornado or hurricane. We go where the need is greatest to offer the help when it's needed most.

When I heard that Constellation Energy Group was moving to a new Harbor East location, I thought the parallels between us are similar. In fact, Baltimore Gas and Electric trucks and Red Cross vehicles are often the only ones on the road after a storm passes — one offering food to eat, the other restoring power.

But they do much more than that.

As our leading corporate donor, Constellation has contributed hundreds of thousands of dollars to the Red Cross to help during disasters such as the Japanese tsunami, the Haitian earthquake, and most recently, Hurricane Irene. Closer to home, their financial support of the United Way enables the Red Cross to respond to three house fires a night just in Maryland.

Constellation employees give blood over 2,500 times every year, literally saving thousands of lives and making this amazing corporate citizen one of the region's largest, most active participants in our blood donation program. Speaking of saving lives, Constellation also provides Red Cross CPR and first aid training to more than 800 employees annually and has done this for more than two decades.

Constellation workers also volunteer their own time with the Red Cross to personally provide emergency shelter, food, clothing and other help to local disaster victims. Last year, after Hurricane Irene, Constellation was the first company to call and offer their employees to help shelter local storm victims — an amazing gesture considering that they were working to restore power to our neighbors around the clock.

For these reasons, we are particularly thankful they have made a commitment to keeping their headquarters in Baltimore.

Frank Miller, Baltimore

The writer is regional executive of the American Red Cross of the Chesapeake Region.